Muay Thai Kickboxing… The Best Workout That You’re Not Doing!!!

For centuries, the people of Thailand have hailed the many health benefits of Muay Thai. In Thailand, Muay Thai is not just a sport, but also a way of life with a vibrant culture that threads religion, honour, and respect through it seamlessly. It has gained such popularity in martial arts schools across the Western world, including Toronto, Vaughan and North York. Many Western schools have been designed with either Muay Thai influences or have gone strictly into teaching this wondrous art form. This begs the question though, what is Muay Thai? Muay Thai is a martial art with its roots ingrained in Thailand. It is often referred to as “the art of 8 limbs,” as it uses eight points of contact from the arms, elbows, knees, and shins. Muay Thai practitioners all over the world have long since uncovered the secret benefits of Muay Thai and we’re here to share that knowledge with you.

Lose Weight and Improve Your Cardiovascular Health:

Did you know that a typical 1 hour Muay Thai Kickboxing class burns close to 800 calories?!?
When training in Muay Thai, it is imperative that you use every part of your body. This martial art provides a mix of both anerobic and aerobic activity, which will increase your cardiovascular health exponentially over time. Warm-ups are especially taxing incporporating exercises like skipping, running, calisthenics and body weight exercises that keep your heart rate at a higher level throughout the rest of your training session. Often times, pad work can be equally cardio based, especially if it includes rounds of different combinations.

Improved Stamina:

Muay Thai Kickboxing is a sport that relies on stamina. Muay Thai requires an array of athletic abilities that all require different levels of strength and energy. In order to keep up with drills, rounds, and basic training, physical stamina is necessary to finish the workout or training session. You will notice an increase in your stamina fairly quickly if you train consistently, and even more so as you advance in your training! Professional athletes from several different sports have chosen to do Muay Thai for effective cross training.

Core Strength:

Many movements in Muay Thai come directly from the core. Your core is already automatically engaged when you are your fighting stance. Every other movement from that point on uses your core and the corresponding muscle group. As your Muay Thai improves, your core improves. Core strength will help make workouts easier, as well as improve your balance and overall Muay Thai. This means that there is something to be gained from every single workout whether you’re working on strength and conditioning, pad work, drills, or sparring.

Improved Discipline:

Another important aspect of Muay Thai that doesn’t often get highlighted, is the amount of discipline required to train in the martial art. With a longstanding history of culture, honour and respect, discipline becomes second-nature to any student of Muay Thai. It takes a lot of control and discipline to understand and utilize your body’s strength according to different situations. This is something advanced students know well. For example, beginner students might want to spar at 80 percent of their strength while not even realizing, whereas an advanced or intermediate student understands their power and can offer more control in these situations. Over time, you learn this discipline through the constant training of both your body and your mind!

Overall, It’s easy to see why so many people have taken this martial art up as their preferred form of physical activity. Muay Thai is a martial art that offers something for everyone. The best way to know if Muay Thai is right for you, is to just do it! So often, it is easy to get bogged down by the “what ifs” and “maybe laters.” If you want to make a difference in your health through a dynamic sport that includes discipline, strength, cardio (and fun!), then Muay Thai is the right sport for you!